This website is a living document of our worldwide research into the lives of elderly. In October 2017 there was an International Festival on Elderly in The Netherlands, accompanied by the publication of our book and documentary.
This is Oehn. He is 60 years old. He came to Phnom Penn from the province to beg. His Leg is broken and his children can not support him any longer. We met him begging on the Kendal market by the riverside. He arrived yesterday in Phnom Penn. He left his family in the […]
In The building we Stayed, there live Sam Siu and his wife Kam Kiam. In their house live their 4 daughters, a brother, and around 6 little children. When we came in to take a picture of Mrs. Kiam, we found Sam Siu sleeping on the floor in a corner of the room, while […]
I was drawn to this specific post because I was fascinated with the relationship between finances, care and religion. This post also made me think about self-sufficiency. What are the possibilities elderly have? Can they make a choice where to live and how to provide for themselves? What are the implications of choices, or lack […]
We visited villages in the Battambang province, guided by Helpage Cambodia. There we met Buo Phan (91), living there with her children and grandchildren. She is sick, without income and feels she is waiting to die.
This is Nkek Chanrun. She lives with her daughter, husband and three grandchildren. They own a small shop that sells food and drinks. Her husband past away 10 years ago, when he was 90 years old. She was born in Phnom Penh, and went to school here where she learned French. Nkek has seven children, four live […]
This man lives in a house in a Pagode, together with his son and 2 other men. His wife and 2 other children live in the province (pum tjaam, eskrit). He spends his days praying, and eating, nothing much. Later Akeng tells me that they moved to the Pagode 20 years ago, because his […]
Elderly in the rural area in Cambodia have given a new shape to reciprocity during the last decade. In the rural area, where people live from farming mostly, and are still living in an extended family environment, there has been a population change. Many adult children move to a city or neighboring countries for work […]
Dear Sina. She is 43 years old, lost her husband 15 years ago and looks, as many Cambodian people, much younger, girlish even. In our talks she mentiones her own fear of getting old, and her worries what to do then. Care from her son? She prefers not. Remarry? She is too old for that. […]
Mrs. Vanny lives in Phnom Penh to make some money to send to her province, her sister, who is blind, still lives there . She rides her bike and sells cookies in the center, by that she earns 2 – 5 dollars a day.
Sim has been a teacher his whole life, also training other teachers how to teach their students. Because of that their family with 8 children moved a lot around between different province schools. His wife Orn has worked as a a seamstress. Since she stopped working 20 years ago, she takes care of their household, […]